Khan 5 supports suffering

The body is nothing but a burden

At that time, I still didn't know how to pray. I don't see how burdensome the five aggregates are. I only see the body as a burden. Upon waking up, one has to go for a bowel movement, take a shower, brush teeth, eat breakfast, and get dressed. Then, I travel to work. Without the body, I wouldn't have to wait for the bus. This body is burdened with so much. When you look into the body, you see it's burdened from head to toe. Just dealing with hair alone involves so much. Washing, cutting, and styling it. Some people dye their hair, some visit salons. Just with hair, there are plenty of activities. Without hair, there's the task of growing it. Many activities become burdensome: finding shampoo, conditioner, gel, and deciding on hairstyles.

Just hair alone takes up a lot of our time. I'm most bored when cutting my hair. When I was a layman, waiting in line for a haircut bored me the most. Once, I walked and found myself in Muang Non, living in a condo. Below the condo was a women's hair salon. It looked empty, so I walked in and asked, 'Can you cut my hair?' She said she couldn't. She'd never cut a man's hair. I told her, 'If you've never done it, just learn. If you're not sure about the style, just cut it short. Whatever you do, just do it.' Since then, I've been very happy. I can get my hair cut without waiting in line. I don't care how beautiful it looks. I told her, 'If it ends up uneven, let it be uneven. Just do it.'

Having hair alone is quite a burden. Fur, nails, teeth, skin, everything is quite a hassle. Shaving your beard every day is a must; leaving it ungroomed makes it look so unpleasant. Fingernails need trimming every week, toenails every two weeks. For some, that's just the beginning. Sometimes, nails are painted in various colors. Luang Por has seen it. Sitting here, nails in different colors on each finger. Some even add diamonds to their nails for beauty.

Teeth: Teeth are a big deal, right? Brushing teeth is a daily must. Then, there's tartar cleaning time. Does it hurt? If so, off to fill a tooth, get a root canal, or have a tooth extracted. There's so much to do. And then there are braces. My teeth aren't perfect; I need braces. Some even have diamonds on their teeth. In ancient times, people wore gold teeth. Thieves would open their mouths and, with pliers, pull out the gold teeth. Whether false or gold teeth, they're a suffering. Now he knows, Phet is a fake. He didn't come to pull teeth.

Look at each part of the body. It's laden with burdens. Even toenails gather dirt and dust like this. We scrape, pick, and wash them. Sometimes, we need foot massages, soak them in hot water, and give them a massage. From head to toe, there are numerous activities. Mundane tasks like excretion—pooping and peeing multiple times a day. I haven't had a bowel movement in several days and can't stand it anymore. It's suffering again.

This body is said to be wonderful. Indeed, it's like this—it's a burden. We cherish it, love it dearly, nurture it, and care for it well, yet in the end, it betrays us. Despite our best efforts, it will age, skin will wither, teeth will loosen, and become crooked. It will eventually fall ill and die. No matter how well we treat it, death is inevitable. Considering this, the body is a heavy burden. It's not a beautiful picture, nor a wonderful thing. We have to eat rice—suddenly, there might not be any left. We have to earn a living, work, and shoulder many responsibilities.

At that time, Luang Phor was not yet ordained. He looked down at his body—it was so dull, burdened with so much. Later, his mind became sharper, realizing the body's burdens. Who carries these burdens? The body does. The mind intervenes—whose decision is it for the body to get a haircut? Well, the body moves on its own. We don't force the mind to walk. I didn't use my mental power to move my body anywhere. When the body is sick, it hurts, it suffers. Who suffers? The body suffers, it gets sick. Yet, the mind intervenes again, falling into chaos—similar to the struggles of earning a living, feeling so weary, toiling for money to buy food and clothes. Who goes out to earn a living? It's the body that works.

Gradually, in prayer, I look deeply. Initially, I was bored with the body, even hated it. Examining all the burdens, it's the body that bears them. Yet, the mind enters, willingly accepting this dissatisfaction. Due to our own mind's foolishness, we become bored. Is it the body that's bored? My body doesn't feel bored at all—it's the mind, perceiving and hearing the ringleader bringing suffering.

The aggregate, the body, inherently suffers on its own. It strives to survive, but the mind intervenes, identifying with it, generating countless thoughts and judgments—'It should be like this, not like that.' Chaos ensues. The mind grasps and holds onto it. The body suffers alone, it's not our doing. Yet, when the mind clings to it, the mind also suffers."

I've made corrections for clarity, improved sentence structure, and fixed grammatical errors where necessary. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to adjust!

Initially, it clears the mistaken view that the body is our own.

We progress through stages of prayer. Initially, we recognize the body's burden. Next, we understand that while the body indeed carries a burden, it does not cause suffering to our mind. Our mind suffers because it clings to the body as if it were ours. Why does it cling to the body? It's because it doesn't see the true nature of the body. If it perceives the body's truth, it wouldn't cling to it. Gradually, through daily prayer, we become aware of our body. We observe our body working, observe our mind at work. We continue to observe with a focused and neutral mind, acknowledging the natural phenomena appearing before us. With a neutral mind, we begin to perceive the truth progressively.

Initially, we were mere learners. We perceived the body and mind as distinct entities. However, the clinging persisted, and we still perceived them as 'me' and 'mine'. Through patient prayer, we dispelled the wrong view that the body is 'me' or 'mine'. The mind truly becomes the knower, observing the body's movements. We recognize that it functions like a machine or a robot, moving and working according to the mind's commands. After prolonged use, it starts to wear out. At this point, the mind issues commands, but the body no longer responds. Similar to a computer or mobile phone with both hardware and software, the mind commands the hardware, which initially complies but eventually deteriorates and ceases to function as instructed. When we command it to walk, but its physical condition prevents it from doing so, we gradually come to the realization that our body is not our true self—it's akin to a robot, an entity that is known and observed.

Observing: Finally, we dispel the misconception that our body is ourselves. However, it feels somewhat belittling to acknowledge that the body is ours, not ourselves. What we see is not 'us' or 'ourselves'. When the mind is firmly established, we perceive the body and understand that it's not us but still belongs to us. The clinging persists, though the right view has emerged: the body is not ours, yet the clinging remains.

There are two terms for defilements: wrong view and clinging. These are distinct concepts. Initially, in our practice of prayer, we let go of wrong views regarding the five aggregates, starting with observing the body. We realize that our body is not 'mine' or 'ourselves'. It is something to be known and observed, experienced through feelings, consciousness, the physical body, and the mind—these are not 'us'. By recognizing this, we dispel the wrong view that these aggregates define us.

This wrong view is known as Sakkāya-diṭṭhi—the belief that the five aggregates are us or we are in the five aggregates, or separate from them, and so on. Through mindfulness and continuous awareness of the body's true nature, we understand it with a steady and neutral mind. The centered mind becomes the knower, detached to observe and understand, gradually dispelling wrong views. We see that the body is not 'mine'.

Letting go of the body-view and releasing the misconception that the five aggregates are ourselves.

Let's examine feelings. Are feelings of happiness and suffering burdensome? We might think that abstract concepts aren't as burdensome as concrete ones, but that's not the case. Abstraction itself is a significant burden. Do we desire happiness? Pursuing happiness entails considerable effort. Do we dislike suffering? We strive immensely to escape it—constantly moving to avoid suffering. Therefore, feelings themselves are a substantial burden. We desire happiness and loathe suffering, leading to numerous subsequent actions.

In modern life, we face many struggles. Ensuring our body has food for the day, clothing to keep us warm or cool, a place to reside, and medicine if we fall ill—these are basic necessities. They meet the body's fundamental needs. However, beyond these needs, the body desires more—it craves happiness. Why settle for a basic car when a luxurious one is desired? The pursuit of happiness involves striving. We want a beautiful spouse to boost our pride and joy, or we take pride in our child's excellent exam results, eager to share them on social media. We become addicted to seeking happiness, which entails significant burdens. Will our child achieve top grades? This, too, becomes a burden.

Suffering itself is a burden, necessitating efforts to escape it. The body itself is also a burden, as are feelings and the mind—oscillating between good and bad states. Practitioners, focusing deeply on prayer, aim to shed defilements, choosing not to let them consume their minds. They observe defilements coming and going—aware that the mind remains uninvolved. This is their practice.

Continuing to observe, we find that the five aggregates are laden with burdens. Our minds, too, are burdens. Why do we need to practice giving, observe precepts, meditate, and cultivate wisdom? Are these burdens? What's the purpose? These practices aim to keep the mind completely pure. Whose mind is it? It's ours. Whether others' minds are impure is their concern. Ours contains desires—imbued with suffering. The five aggregates are laden with burdens, causing suffering.

By continuing our study, initially perceiving the five aggregates as ourselves and abandoning the body-view, we relinquish the misconception that the five aggregates are ourselves or that we possess the five aggregates. By carefully observing each component—starting with the body, compassion, or the mind, depending on our inclination—we gradually see the monk's teachings come to life. Observe your body's actions. The mind becomes the observer, perceiving that this body is only suffering and laden with burdens. Continue observing—it functions according to the mind's commands. It's not us; it's something to be known and observed. Feeling, too, is something observed and known.

Memory, perception, and knowing—these are rarely discussed but challenging to comprehend. For now, it's best to set them aside. The contract consists of two parts: wrong perception and correct perception. Every mind naturally holds perceptions, including incorrect ones—misjudging things as beautiful or ugly, or perceiving impermanence and suffering as happiness. These are misconceptions. Correct perception recognizes things as impermanent, suffering, and not-self.

Therefore, the contract isn't something to avoid; it involves knowledge. There's also a memory component requiring separate study, intricate and extensive. We delve into Dhamma observation. Staying mindful in Dhamma observation, we examine what's essential: our body, feelings of happiness and suffering, our mind's virtues and vices, and the absence of evil in our mind. By understanding these elements, we witness the mind working autonomously. Simply observe.

As we practice mindfulness and understand the five aggregates as they truly are—with a steady and neutral mind—wisdom arises. We comprehend the truth, removing wrong views and dispelling mischievous perceptions. The initial step in micchā-diṭṭhi is perceiving the five aggregates as ourselves. Progressing beyond the stage of Sotāpanna, we realize that the five aggregates are not ourselves. However, clinging persists, lowering our perception but still regarding it as our own. In reality, we lack ownership—it's merely misguided views, thoughts, and beliefs. That's all there is to it.

“Seeing the truth is a monk's tool bestowed by Lord Buddha."

"If one day we perceive that the mind is not us, the five aggregates will also cease to be us."